Lisa Goodwin-Allen shares her recipe for a delectably fresh dish.
“Asparagus is a wonderful product and is right in season too. I’ve done something quite simple yet elegant with it, because I think the flavour of the asparagus deserves to speak for itself.
Ingredients
For the Chargrilled Asparagus:
• 8 spears of asparagus
• 25g sugar
• 15g salt
• 500ml water
For the Sheep’s Curd Dressing:
• 150g crème fraiche
• 150g buttermilk
• 10g roast garlic
• 6g lemon juice
• 100g sheep’s curd
For the Sorrel Oil:
• 200g sorrel
• 200g grapeseed oil
For the Sourdough Crumb:
• 250g Butter
• 50g Sourdough Starter
For the garnish:
• Red Butterfly Sorrel
Method
For the chargrilled asparagus:
1 Gently peel the asparagus and remove the woody part of the stalk, either by cutting or by snapping at it natural point.
2 In a medium pan, add water, sugar salt and bring to the boil.
3 Once boiling add the asparagus and cook for 40 seconds, remove from the pan and place straight into the blast chiller to cool.
4 When ready to serve, heat a griddle pan and once hot, slightly oil the asparagus spears and place into the griddle pan to get a nice char.
5 Use a small paring knife to test the stalk, there should still be a light bite. Remove from the griddle, season with a small amount of salt, then serve.
For the Sheep’s Curd Dressing:
1 Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
2 Pass the dressing through a fine sieve.
3 Check the seasoning and keep refrigerated!
For the sorrel oil:
1 Place the sorrel and oil into a Vitamix blender and blend for about 6 minutes until fully incorporated and it becomes a vibrant green oil.
2 Remove from the blender but do not pass. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
For the Sourdough Crumb:
1 In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat the butter to 190°C
2 Pour the sourdough starter into the butter and whisk vigorously to break up the starter into small globules. Continue to whisk until the starter has become golden in colour and crisp
3 Strain off the butter and place crumb onto an absorbent cloth and season with salt.
To Serve:
1 Place a spoon of the sheep’s curd in the middle of the plate, and ½ tsp of sorrel oil in the centre of the curd, place 1 spear next to the curd, then the second next to that slightly higher.
2 Add a tsp of the sourdough crumb, and finish with the butterfly sorrel on top of the asparagus.
Recipe courtesy of Lisa Goodwin-Allen